Chapter 16

CHAPTER 16 A cold raindrop splashed onto Leafpaw's fur, and she shook it away irritably. Above her, a restless wind stirred the trees, sending brittle scarlet and gold leaves drifting into the clearing. Leaf-bare was barely a moon away, but it seemed like the least of the Clan's troubles. "The rabbit smelled bad," Cinderpelt reported to Firestar. "Barkface said that cats who ate them died. I believe him. This rabbit we saw wasn't infected with any sort of sickness I've encountered. It must be something the Twolegs have done." Crouched beside the fresh-kill pile in the ThunderClan camp, Leafpaw listened anxiously as her mentor told Firestar what they had discovered on their way to Highstones. Leafpaw's heart twisted with pity to see the shock in her father's green eyes as he listened. "This means we can't eat rabbits either," he meowed. "Great StarClan, what next? We'll all starve." "No cat has died in our territory yet,"

第十六章 一滴冷雨砸落到叶爪的皮毛上，她不耐烦地把雨水抖掉。 她头顶上，不安的狂风搅动着树林，把干枯的红叶金叶吹得飘进林间空地。 距离落叶季只剩不到一个月，可这对族群来说，这还排不上最麻烦的事。 “这兔子味道不对，”炭毛向火星报告说。 “巴脸说，吃了兔子的猫都死了。 我相信他。 我们见到的这只兔子，没有染上我见过的任何一种疾病。 这一定是两脚鸟干的好事。” 叶爪蹲在雷族营地的新鲜猎物堆旁，焦急地听着导师向火星讲述，他们在前往高石山路上的发现。 看到父亲听消息时绿眼睛里满是震惊，叶爪的心因为心疼揪紧了。 “也就是说，我们也不能吃兔子了，”他喵声道。 “伟大的星族啊，接下来还会有什么灾祸？ 我们都会饿死的。” “我们领地目前还没有猫死去，

Sandstorm pointed out from where she sat a tail- length away, her tail wrapped neatly around her paws. She twitched as a falling leaf brushed against her ear. "Maybe the trouble's just in WindClan." "But rabbits run across the border all the time," replied Cinderpelt. "It might be safe to eat rabbits from the other end of our territory, near Treecutplace, but I don't think we should take the risk even there." "You're right." Firestar heaved a deep sigh. "I'll announce it to the rest of the Clan. No more rabbits." "Well, we have to eat something." Sandstorm got briskly to her paws. "I'll get my hunting patrol together and see what we can find." She padded away and disappeared between the branches of the warriors" den. "Meanwhile," mewed Cinderpelt, "we'd better get rid of any rabbits in the fresh-kill pile." Leafpaw studied the pathetically small pile of prey. There was only one rabbit; it looked plump and inviting, and her mouth watered at the sight of it. She hadn't had such a good meal for days.

沙风坐在一尾远的地方开口说话，尾巴整齐地绕在爪子边。 一片落叶扫过她的耳朵，她抖了一下。 “说不定只有风族出了这个问题。” “可是兔子经常会越界跑动，”炭毛回答。 “我们领地另一头靠近伐木场的兔子说不定是安全的，但就算在那儿，我觉得我们也不该冒这个险。” “你说得对。” 火星重重地叹了一口气。 “我会向族群所有猫宣布这件事。 再也不能吃兔子了。” “唉，我们总得找点东西吃啊。” 沙风轻快地站起身来。 “我去组织我的狩猎巡逻队，看看能找到什么猎物。” 她轻步走开，消失在武士巢穴的枝干之间。 “趁现在，”炭毛喵道，“我们最好把猎物堆里所有兔子都处理掉。” 叶爪看着那少得可怜的一小堆猎物。 那儿只有一只兔子，看着肥美诱人，她一看见就忍不住流口水。 她已经好几天没吃过这么像样的一餐了。

Then her belly cramped at the thought of what the Twolegs might have done to it. She thought she could catch a whiff of the harsh scent that had clung to the WindClan rabbit, but this rabbit's scent was so mixed up with that of the other prey in the pile that she could not be sure. "Take it outside the camp and bury it," Firestar directed. "Wait—don't pick it up in your mouth," Cinderpelt added. "Push it out with your paws, and then clean them with moss." Leafpaw had just separated the rabbit from the pile when Dappletail, the oldest cat in the Clan, came past and gave the prey an appreciative look. "I hope that's for the elders," she rasped. "My belly's flapping like a leaf in the wind." "No." Cinderpelt explained what she and Leafpaw had seen in WindClan territory. "What? I've never heard such nonsense!" Dappletail snorted. "WindClan has a bit of trouble, so ThunderClan can't eat rabbits? Barkface might have been lying, just to weaken ThunderClan. They've always been a proud,

可一想到两脚鸟可能对它动过手脚，她的肚子就抽痛起来。 她觉得自己好像闻到了那只风族兔子身上刺鼻的怪味，可这只兔子的气味和猎物堆里其他猎物的混在一起，她没法确定。 “把它拿出营地埋掉，”火星下令道。 “等一下——别用嘴叼它，”炭毛补充说。 “用爪子把它推出去，之后用苔藓把爪子擦干净。” 叶爪刚把兔子从猎物堆里分出来，族群里年纪最大的斑尾走过来，满是渴盼地看着这只猎物。 “我希望这是给长老们留的，”她哑着嗓子说。 “我的肚子空得像风中的叶子晃个不停。” “不行。” 炭毛解释了她和叶爪在风族领地看到的情况。 “什么？ 我从来没听过这么荒唐的话！” 斑尾嗤了一声。 “风族出点事，雷族就不能吃兔子了？ 巴脸说不定就是撒谎，就是为了削弱雷族。 他们一向都是骄傲的，

deceitful Clan. Have you thought of that?" Leafpaw exchanged a glance with her mentor. She could see there would be no point in trying to convince Dappletail. The old cat wanted the rabbit. "The decision's been made." Firestar spoke with the authority of Clan leader. "No more rabbits. Leafpaw will take that one out and bury it." "She'll do no such thing!" Outraged, Dappletail darted for the rabbit and began tearing into it hungrily and gulping down huge mouthfuls. "No!" Cinderpelt exclaimed. "Stop!" Firestar sprang forward, pushing himself between the elder and her prey, and thrusting her gently away. "Dappletail, I'm ordering you not to eat that. It's for your own good." The old cat's eyes burned into his, her gaze full of hostility. Seeing her skinny body, her tortoiseshell pelt dull and patchy, Leafpaw could understand her desperation. The old cat was usually one of the gentlest queens; only starvation would have driven her to this.

狡诈的族群。 你们有没有想过这一点？” 叶爪和自己的导师对视了一眼。 她看得出来，想要说服斑尾根本没用。 这只老猫太想要这只兔子了。 “决定已经做出来了。” 火星带着族群族长的威严开口说道。 再也不能吃兔子。 叶爪会把这只拿出去埋掉。” “她才不会这么做！” 斑尾怒不可遏，猛地冲向兔子，饿狠狠地撕咬起来，大口大口往肚子里吞。 “不要！” 炭毛惊呼出声。 “停下！” 火星扑上前，挡在这位长老和猎物之间，轻轻把她推开。 “斑尾，我命令你不许吃这个。 这都是为了你好。” 老猫的眼睛狠狠盯着他，目光里满是敌意。 看着她瘦骨嶙峋的身体，玳瑁色皮毛暗淡又斑驳，叶爪能理解她的绝望。 这只老猫一向是最温柔的猫后之一，只有饥饿才会把她逼成这样。

"Do you call yourself a leader?" she spat at Firestar. "The whole Clan will starve, and it will be your fault." "Firestar's doing the right thing," Cinderpelt insisted. "There's no point feeding the Clan with food that could kill us quicker than any hunger." Dappletail turned on her, with lips drawn back in the beginnings of a snarl. Then she whipped around and stalked across the clearing toward the elders" den. Leafpaw watched her go. "Please, StarClan, let that rabbit be safe," she murmured as she began to push the half-eaten remains toward the camp entrance. A withered brown leaf spiraled down in front of Leafpaw as she padded up the ravine beside Cinderpelt. It was the day following their return from Highstones and the argument with Dappletail over the rabbit. Cinderpelt was stocking up on the herbs the Clan would need to see them through leaf-bare—weakened by hunger, the Clan would be in danger of greencough and deadly blackcough even more than usual.

“你也配称自己是族长？” 她冲着火星啐道。 “整个族群都会饿死，这全都是你的错。” “火星做得没错，”炭毛坚持道。 “拿会比饥饿更快害死我们的食物喂族群，根本毫无意义。” 斑尾转向她，嘴唇咧开，露出了凶相。 接着她猛地转身，大步跨过空地朝长老巢穴走去。 叶爪看着她走开。 “求求星族，让那只兔子平安无事，”她低声呢喃着，一边把吃剩一半的残骸推到营地入口。 叶爪跟着炭毛走上峡谷斜坡，一片干枯的棕叶打着旋飘落在她面前。 这是她们从高石岗归来、和斑尾为兔子争执后的第二天。 炭毛正在储备药草，帮族群撑过秃叶季——饥饿让族群变得虚弱，他们会比往常更易染上绿咳症和致命的黑咳症。

"There's no point in going anywhere near the Twoleg monsters," Cinderpelt meowed. "Nothing grows where they've been. We'll head for Sunningrocks and see what we can find there." Dead leaves lay thickly on the ground, stirred up by a stiff breeze. When she was a kit, Leafpaw would have loved to toss them in the air and chase them. Now she hardly had the energy to go on putting one paw in front of another. Soon Sunningrocks appeared ahead of them, smooth gray mounds rising out of the grass like the backs of sleeping animals. Almost at once Cinderpelt found a thick clump of chickweed and began carefully biting off the stems. Leafpaw cast around to see what else she could find, looking longingly down to the bank of the river where plants grew thickly, their roots fed by the water. But that was RiverClan territory, and after being punished for the fishing lesson with Mothwing, Leafpaw knew better than to trespass. She heard a scrabbling close beside her and turned to see a vole scuttling along the base of the nearest rock. In the same heartbeat the vole sensed her and darted for a crevice, but before it

“根本没必要去两脚兽怪物附近瞎找，”炭毛说道。 “他们待过的地方寸草不生。 我们去太阳石，看看能在那儿找到什么。” 干枯的落叶厚厚铺在地上，被劲风吹得翻动不停。 要是在还是幼崽的时候，叶爪肯定会开心地把叶子抛到空中，追着玩耍。 可现在她连一步接一步往前走的力气都几乎没有了。 很快太阳石出现在前方，光滑的灰色石丘从草地隆起，就像睡梦中动物的脊背。 炭毛几乎立刻就找到了一大丛繁缕，开始小心地咬下它的茎秆。 叶爪四下张望寻找别的药草，满心向往地望向河岸，那儿植物长得茂密，根系得到河水滋养。 但那是河族的领地，上次她因为跟蛾翅学钓鱼受了罚，叶爪清楚不能越界。 她听到身旁不远处传来扒挠的声响，转头看见一只田鼠顺着最近的岩石底部匆匆跑过。 田鼠同一瞬间就察觉到了她，猛地窜向石缝，可不等它